Solenoid valve puck assembly and method

Abstract

A puck retaining recess in a plunger of a solenoid valve is formed with a puck retaining lip that is fixed or unified with the plunger. The puck is then radially compressed to fit through a central opening of the retainer lip, and once the puck is pushed past the retainer lip, it is allowed to radially expand within the recess where the puck is retained between a bottom of the recess and the retainer lip. This eliminates many problems that previously occurred with separable retainer lips pressed into position to hold a puck after its insertion into a plunger recess.

1. A method of making and assembling a disk-shaped elastomeric puck into a recess of a plunger of an aerospace solenoid valve, the method comprising:
 die cutting the puck from a sheet of material so that the puck has a cylindrically cut edge and a uniform thickness between axial faces of the puck; 
 manufacturing the recess to have a fixed puck retaining lip and a diameter larger than a diameter of the puck in a region between the lip and a bottom of the recess; 
 positioning the puck in a tool having a conical inside surface with a diminishing internal diameter registered with an opening in the retaining lip so that the cylindrical surface of the puck engages the conical inside surface; 
 forcing the puck through the conical surface so that the puck is radially compressed and axially elongated as the puck advances; 
 forcing the radially compressed puck through a region where the internal diameter registers with the opening in the retaining lip so that the puck passes through the retainer lip and into the recess; 
 allowing the elastomeric puck to expand radially into a portion of a radial space available within the recess to a position in which:
 a) the puck has a radial clearance within the recess, 
 b) the puck is axially compressed between an inner edge of the lip and a bottom of the recess; 
 c) the axial compression holds the puck in a fixed position within the recess, and 
 d) an outer axial face of the puck is disposed to extend across the opening at the inner edge of the lip where it can engage a valve seat within the opening in the lip. 
 
 
     
     
       2. An aerospace fluid valving plunger and puck assembled by the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
       3. A method of combining a disk-shaped elastomeric valve closing puck with a plunger of an aerospace solenoid valve, the plunger having a recess dimensioned to receive the puck and a lip dimensioned to retain the puck in the recess, the method comprising:
 die cutting the puck from a sheet of material so that the puck has a cylindrical die cut surface and axially opposite and parallel plane faces; 
 unifying the lip with the recess in the plunger; 
 compressing the elastomeric puck radially enough to move the puck through an opening in the lip while allowing the puck to expand axially; and 
 forcing the radially compressed puck into the recess so that the puck expands radially within the recess to leave a radial clearance between the puck and the recess and the puck expands axially to retain the puck concentrically within the recess and to hold the puck against movement within the recess by compressing the puck between an inner edge of the lip and a bottom of the recess, and to dispose a valve-closing axial face of the puck at the inner edge of the lip to engage a valve seat in a region within the opening in the lip. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3  including compressing the puck radially by forcing the cylindrically cut surface of the puck axially into a conical bore of diminishing internal diameter before forcing the puck through the lip. 
     
     
       5. A combination of an aerospace valve plunger and a puck assembled by the method of  claim 3 . 
     
     
       6. An assembly of valve-closing elastomeric puck and an aerospace solenoid plunger having a recess configured to receive the puck, the recess and the puck each being cylindrical, and comprising:
 the recess and a retainer lip for the recess being manufactured of a single piece of metal; 
 the retainer lip having an opening with an internal diameter less than a diameter of the recess; 
 the puck having a cylindrically cut diameter larger than the internal diameter of the lip and smaller than an internal diameter of the recess; 
 the lip being spaced axially from a bottom of the recess by a distance less than an axial thickness of the puck; 
 the puck is held in place concentrically within the recess by being compressed between an inner edge of the lip and the bottom of the recess; 
 a valve closing face of the puck extending across an inside of the opening in the lip to engage a valve seat at an exposed face of the puck within inner edge of the opening in the lip; and 
 the puck and recess diameters ensuring that the puck has radial expansion room when held within the recess, and the axial thickness of the puck and the spacing of the lip axially from the bottom of the recess ensuring that the compression holding the puck in place does not allow the puck to move within the recess. 
 
     
     
       7. A method of assembling the assembly of  claim 6  including forcing the puck through a tool having a conical internal surface engaging the cylindrical cut surface of the puck and leading to the internal diameter of the lip so that the puck passes through the tool, through the lip and into the recess under the lip. 
     
     
       8. A compressible and elastomeric and disk-shaped valve-closing puck retained in a recess of an aerospace solenoid plunger in a combination comprising:
 the recess and a lip of the recess having a shape that results from being manufactured integrally of a metal; 
 the lip having an opening concentric with the recess; 
 the lip being spaced from a bottom of the recess; 
 the puck being held against movement within the recess in a position compressively engaging the lip and the bottom of the recess; 
 the puck being concentric with the recess and having a radial clearance within the recess; 
 the puck having a diameter larger than the opening in the lip and smaller than an internal diameter of the recess; and 
 a valve closing face of the puck extending over an inner edge of the opening in the lip where the puck is disposed to engage a valve seat at the inner edge of the opening in the lip. 
 
     
     
       9. A method of assembling the combination of  claim 8  including forcing the puck through a conical bore of diminishing internal diameter engaging the cylindrical cut surface of the puck to insert the puck through the lip and into the recess.